Colorado Real Estate Online Courses

BEST VALUE!

This package includes 12 elective CE hours required for active broker license renewals.

Courses included in this package:

• Going Green: The Environmental Movement in Real Estate (3 elective hours)
• Selling to Your Sphere of Influence (3 elective hours)
• Short Sale and Foreclosure Risk Management (3 elective hours)
• Today`s MLS: New Paradigms Better Results (3 elective hours)

BEST VALUE!

This package includes all 12 elective and 4 (2012) core hours required for active broker license renewals. The remaining 8 hours need to be in core courses, taking one per year in the 3 year renewal cycle.

Courses included in this package:

• Colorado 2012 Real Estate Commission Update** (4 commission update hours)
• Foreclosures Demystified (3 elective hours)
• Online Risk Management (3 elective hours)
• Real Estate Investors and Your Business (3 elective hours)
• Uncle Sam has Homes for Sale: Listing and Selling HUD Homes (3 elective hours)

**Please note: The 2012 update core course will expire on 12/31/2012. This course must be completed by 11:59 pm CST on 12/31/2012 in order to receive credit.

BEST VALUE!

This package includes all 12 elective and 4 (2012) core hours required for active broker license renewals. The remaining 8 hours need to be in core courses, taking one per year in the 3 year renewal cycle.

Courses included in this package:

• Colorado 2012 Real Estate Commission Update** (4 commission update hours)
• Going Green: The Environmental Movement in Real Estate (3 elective hours)
• Keeping it Honest: Understanding Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud (3 elective hours)
• Roadmap to Success: Business Planning for Real Estate Professionals (3 elective hours)
• Today's MLS: New Paradigms, Better Results (3 elective hours)

**Please note: The 2012 update core course will expire on 12/31/2012. This course must be completed by 11:59 pm CST on 12/31/2012 in order to receive credit.

It is widely known that government exists due to the taxation of you and your client's income and property. Your clients should be aware that tax consequences occur as a result of each real estate transaction. Although as a real estate professional you should not provide tax or legal advice, you can identify the potential income and other tax affects for your sellers and buyers, and advise them to seek appropriate legal and tax counsel.

Course highlights include:

• Details outlining in-home office deduction requirements, and an explanation of how to calculate these deductions
• A clear definition of qualified residences
• Details about loans that commonly qualify for interest deductions
• Instructions on calculating an adjusted basis, a capital gain/loss, a net selling price, and a gain or loss on the sale of assets
• An overview of commercial real estate 1031 Like-Kind Exchange requirements

Each one of us has had someone treat us unfairly due to a judgement they’ve made about us. Within your real estate business, it is crucial that you understand the principles of practicing fair housing so that you are able to run a fair and honest business.

Course highlights include:

• Video skits depicting real fair housing cases, submitted by the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission
• Instructions on creating advertisements that comply with fair housing laws
• Details about federally protected classes, as outlined by the Fair Housing Act
• An explanation of how practicing fair housing will benefit your real estate business
• A list of red flags of discrimination for listing agents, selling agents, and brokers
• A video Public Service Announcement from the Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding fair housing

This course summarizes the recent changes in legislation, commission rules, and commission position statements, and provides you with the most current, up-to-date regulations that came into effect on January 1, 2011. Upon completion of this course, you will earn four hours of continuing education credit. In addition, course completion satisfies one of the three required Annual Commission Update course requirements for license renewal.

The 2012 Commission Update course highlights include:

• Compliance issues clarified, such as advertising in social media, continuing education audits, property management, the SAFE and Dodd-Frank acts, competency issues, RELO (relocation) and REO (real estate owned) addendums, and avoiding common mistakes in your real estate practice.
• Review of the commission-approved forms, including contract changes for 2012, with advice on completing clear and consistent contracts, as well as a review of the new and improved contract forms.
• General practice concerns, such as proper licensing forms, errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, applying what you learn in the field to your real estate practice, broker price opinions (BPO), and green appraisals.
• New and improved regulations, including a review of Commission position statements (CP), new 2012 CPs, proposed regulations that include appraisal management companies (AMC) and CREC rule changes, and consumer tips and resources you can utilize to help your customers.

Ethical real estate professionals who adhere to a high set of standards are the foundation for restoring confidence and stability in an unsure marketplace.  The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) relies on its Code of Ethics to ensure that real estate professionals are conducting business in an honest manner and with the highest degree of integrity. 

This course reviews the Code of Ethics in spirit and language. Recent updates are highlighted and case studies clarify how the code translates into your everyday dealings. 

Ethics principles are a standard component of continuing education. In addition, this course fulfills the ethics training mandated by the National Association of REALTORS® for its members.

Course Highlights

• Review of the 17 articles in the NAR’s Code of Ethics
• Spotlight on new and amended Articles and Standards of Practice
• Activities crafted from Case Interpretations

*This course meets the NAR QUADRENNIAL requirement

In today`s real estate marketplace, foreclosures and short sales are a part of the landscape. This course will help you to gain a clear understanding of the steps of the foreclosure process.

Course highlights include:

• Details about legislation that has been enacted to assist distressed homeowners
• Rebuilding steps for homeowners who are recovering from foreclosure
• An explanation of the differences between judicial foreclosure and trust deed non-judicial foreclosure processes
• Foreclosure avoidance tips and ideas
• Details outlining the foreclosure process

The financing of a home is as integral to real estate transactions as finding the home itself, and it is beneficial for you to have a clear understanding of the entire financing process. This course will help you to gain a better understanding of the changes the mortgage market has experienced over the years.

Course highlights include:

• Details outlining the history and purpose of real estate financing
• Explanation of the roles and regulations of FNMA, GNMA, FHLMC, FHA, and VA
• Video outlining the rise and fall of the mortgage market and global economy
• Information about HAFA and Making Home Affordable
• Statistics from the Center for Responsible Lending and the Federal Reserve
• Affordability Worksheet, to assist clients in calculating their maximum affordable purchase price
• Homebuyer Do's and Dont's flier with tips for your clients
• Instructions on calculating LTV, front-end and back-end ratios, and monthly mortgage payments
• Details and qualification requirements for several popular financing options

From the time your buyers sign their purchase agreements, to the time they finally get the keys to their new home, the mortgage process can be filled with anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty. Through your understanding of the process, you will be able to provide your clients with a road map through the maze.

Course highlights include:

• Video outlining the mortgage process
• Tips on helping your clients avoid predatory lending
• Updated statistics from the Center for Responsible Lending
• Current lender disclosure requirements
• 2010 updates to 1003 loan application
• Homebuyer Do's and Don'ts flier that agents can pass on to their clients
• Tips on compiling and managing your short list of reputable lenders
• Current loan documentation rules
• Details regarding closing and closing documents

In this course, we will discuss the runaway trend in the real estate market to go "green." As more and more clients search exclusively for green homes, it is more important than ever to understand what "green" means and how you can utilize knowledge of "green" living in your efforts marketing and searching for properties.

Course highlights include:

• Tools that can be shared with your clients so they can measure the impact their lifestyles could leave on the environment, along with helpful tips for reducing their negative impact.
• Descriptions and videos about popular "green" building, design, and landscaping materials, which will help you identify "green"; features during showings.
• Videos and Internet resources providing details on programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), and ENERGY STAR®, and details about "green" property requirements, as outlined by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
• Recommendations that you can share with your seller clients on how they can make inexpensive, effective "green" changes to their homes that appeal to eco-conscious buyers.
• Suggestions on ways you can "go green" in your real estate business, and details about going paperless.

Real estate fraud, along with the recent increase in identity theft, has become a major issue in the industry. This course identifies several types of real estate fraud schemes, both minor and major, and helps you, as a real estate professional, understand how you can protect and educate your clients on this growing problem.

Course highlights include:

• Details about property disclosures that are required in real estate transactions
• Statistics regarding fraud cases and the top 10 states with significant mortgage fraud problems
• An explanation of sub-prime lending and how it impacts mortgage fraud
• A summary of the steps of a purchase process that will help you identify where major buyer misrepresentation can occur
• A handout from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that will help you understand how "house stealing" can occur

Infinite prospecting and advertising opportunities are available to real estate professionals through social media, blogging, property listing website, and email resources. Whether you’re an experienced Internet-savvy professional or have yet to create a Facebook profile, this course will help you gain an understanding of the legal, regulatory, ethical, and professional issues that should shape your online content and conduct.

This exciting new course features:

• Resources to help you in developing your online presence through personal websites, blogs, social media profiles, email campaigns, etc.
• Tech tips from Amy Chorew that will assist you in protecting your online image
• Details on reducing legal, ethical, regulatory, and practical risk you face through your online real estate activities
• Checklists with website best practices and email etiquette tips that can be used in your online marketing activities
• A handout with tips on avoiding E&O insurance claims stemming from your online real estate activities

It is estimated that approximately $300 billion in real estate is transacted by investors each year. Grab your piece of the pie by understanding the driving forces in the dynamic residential real estate investment market. Possessing knowledge of the strategies and mindsets of investors will help you serve your valuable investor clients effectively, responsibly, and ethically. Through this course, you will learn the impact of real estate investment in the United States, the opportunities that exist for investors, and your role in representing the residential real estate investor.

Course highlights include:

• Resources from Keller Williams Publishing, National Real Estate Investors Association, OwnAmerica, and the National Association of REALTORS® that will help you serve your investor clients
• A Criteria Worksheet handout that can be utilized in your efforts finding properties for your clients
• Insights from The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine, and Crash Boom! that will help you understand the mindset and strategies of investors
• Details about real estate market conditions and the impact of investors on the market over time
• Tips for acting ethically, providing a high level of service, and avoiding liability issues while working with investors

First and foremost, you, as a real estate professional, are an entrepreneur. This course guides you through proven methods to assist you in developing a successful, workable business plan. You will learn about creating a vision for your business and the tools necessary to achieve that vision.

Course highlights include:

• A Business Plan Worksheet that will help you reflect on your accomplishments and focus on your goals for the future
• Helpful ideas for defining your real estate business, vision statement and mission statement
• Details about identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and setting realistic, attainable goals
• A Business Plan Template that you can edit to create your business plan
• Instructions on analyzing your sphere of influence and tips for adding contacts to your sphere
• Tips on calculating the levels of productivity you will need to meet in order to achieve your income and profitability goals

While most real estate agents agree referrals are fundamental to success, the majority of agents are still beating the streets in hopes of attracting business from strangers. The Sphere of Influence approach to building your real estate business is based on nurturing relationships within your circle of friends, family, past clients, neighbors and acquaintances.  This course helps you turn your acquaintances into your biggest advocates through respectful, non-intrusive methods. 

Course highlights include:

• Tips to ensure you are presenting a professional, enthusiastic image to your Sphere of Influence contacts
• Suggestions on planning and implementing an ongoing SOI strategy
• Strategies on building and maintaining a contact database
• Ideas you can use in writing effective reconnection letters
• Things to keep in mind when pursuing and accepting referrals from family and friends

Short sale and foreclosure transactions have likely made up a large percentage of your business in the past few years as the real estate market and the rest of the economy has been volatile. It is important that you possess an understanding of the risks inherent in these types of situations and transactions.

Course highlights include:

• Detailed explanations of the causes and steps of foreclosure and short sale transactions
• Short sale, foreclosure, and lending resources that can be passed on to your clients
• Tips for navigating short sale or foreclosure negotiations
• A list of ways to avoid risk in working with clients who are facing short sale or foreclosure transactions
• Resources from the National Association of REALTORS® that will help you and your clients gain a better understanding of short sale and foreclosures
• A list of questions that you can ask short sale buyers to help prepare them for the process

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the most powerful tool that you, as a real estate professional, have at your disposal.  Potential buyers, in addition to other real estate professionals, can view your listings through a multitude of websites. How you use the MLS communicates your level of professionalism and attracts people to your properties. 

This course provides common sense theories and best practices from industry experts.  Harness the full power of the MLS, starting with a full understanding of how data flow in and out of the MLS.  Apply the practical concepts from this course to:

• Write exceptional listing descriptions
• Prepare listings that receive the attention they deserve
• Remain in compliance with fair housing, advertising, ethics, and anti-trust regulations

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) acquires thousands of homes every year through foreclosure on properties that had Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured mortgages. This course explains the processes and procedures involved in listing and selling HUD homes, including how the properties are awarded to individual brokers for listing, how brokers and agents are compensated for these sales, and how they are listed and marketed.

Course highlights include:

• Overview of increased commission opportunities
• Explanation of FHA financing, and the FHA foreclosure process
• A summary of the roles created through HUD's Management and Marketing III program, and details regarding the duties associated with each role
• A description of the documents involved in the sale of a HUD home
• Rules outlining the advertisement of HUD homes
• Details about the HUD home bidding process